Notes

969] After a sojourn in a Turkish harem, Juan escapes only to find himself taking part in the Russian siege of Ismail, a Turkish fortified city at the mouth of the Danube, which began on November 30, 1790. Byron's historical account follows the Histoire de la Nouvelle Russie by Marquis Gabriel de Castelnau. The carnage and destruction which followed the taking of the city seem to have been appalling. Back to Line

997] debt: the National Debt, driven to a new peak by the cost of the Napoleonic wars. Back to Line

1000] Wellesley's glory. Richard Colley, Marquis of Wellesley, brother of the Duke of Wellington, organized an attempt to relieve the Irish during the famine of 1822. Back to Line

1008] great George. The bulky Prince Regent had become George IV in 1820. Back to Line

1016] the rest were silent all! Castelnau claims that 38,860 Turks perished in the slaughter. Back to Line

1044] "single blessedness": see Midsummer Night's Dream, I, i, 78. Back to Line

1047] Roman sort of Sabine wedding. The abduction or "rape" of the Sabine women by Roman soldiers took place around 290 B.C. Back to Line

1057] Suwarrow: Alexander Vasilievich Suvorov (1729-1800), the officer commanding the siege. Back to Line

1058] Timour ... Zinghis: Timour the Lame (1336-1405) and Genghis Khan (1162-1227), two famous Mongol emperors and conquerors. Back to Line

1063] "Glory to God and to the Empress! ... Ismail's ours": accordig to Byron's note (which quotes a Russian two-line version), "a kind of couplet; for he was a poet." The Empress is Catherine the Great. Back to Line

1066] "MENE, MENE, TEKEL," and "UPHARSIN": see Daniel, 5: 25-28. Back to Line